The latest from Mooch is a 3 track digital download EP that includes Mooch founder and mainstay Steve Palmer on synths, bass and bouzouki, Bridget Wishart on vocals, EWI and saxophone, Andrew Redhead on Korg Monotron, and the ever reliable Erich Z. Schlagzeug on drums & percussion.
The first track is the 10+ minute Beltane (Greenwood Mix), a remix of the track first heard on the 2010 Mooch album, The Pagan Year. It opens with a dreamy, melodic, mildly droning ambience, and Bridget’s whispery lulling vocals. After a few minutes, spacey sax and a variety of effects kick in, soon followed by a slow, steady drum beat and a simple but catchy melody. Really beautiful spacey-ambient-jazz, and it just occurred to me that this review is being posted just days before we’re in May (Beltane!). The 8 minute Outside Inside is next, with its trippy tribal dance grooves, wailing Prog Rocky synth lines and strumming bouzouki, plus Bridget’s spoken word… “When I go outside, I take me, with me. When I’m inside, it’s me, that wants to get out.” Very mesmerizing in a head-bobbin’ kind of way. Finally, we have the 10 minute Samhain, which features Mooch newcomer Andrew Redhead on Korg Monotron. This is a real mood shift from Outside Inside, being a bit on the eerie side. I love the dark ambience, cool freaky electronics, and Bridget’s witchy vocals, which are a blend of spoken word and singing. This is all about mood and atmosphere, like roaming through a haunted house in the cosmos. My favorite track of the three. I’d say Steve did a good job of offering a lot of variety in under 30 minutes.
The Beltane To Samhain EP is distributed through http://www.musiczeit.com. CLICK HERE to go directly to the Beltane To Samhain page.
Steve started a Mooch blog which you can visit at: http://moochmusic.wordpress.com
Reviewed by Jerry Kranitz